The Senate has voted to kill the comprehensive immigration reform bill--it looks like the nation will have to look to the next congress and the next president for a solution to its broken immigration system.

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Dear Weekly Editor:
I get so angry to listen to Lou Dobbs (who's obviously against a positive outcome of the "Comprehensive Immigration Bill") and people like Dolores. I came here through the regular channels legally. I graduated and when I obtained my degree, I asked the INS what's next and they say the only way for you is to find an employer who would sponsor you. I had my EAD and had an employer who agreed to sponsor me and changed their mind about 3 month to the end of my EAD. Now I know better and I think that I could have extended my EAD (which the INS "again" told me that I could not renew) and/or should have hired a lawyer for a better outcome and could/should have returned home but I had just bought a house since things seems to be taking place so nicely for me.
No hospital would hire me (I am an RN) since during that time there weren't a shortage in Nursing, so I tried my best to continue living... I have been trying to sell my house since 2003 to try to go home and maybe come back and the Real Estate market being what it is... and after two lousy Real Estate agents I am still in the "down" house.
I have been paying my taxes the whole time I have been here and as a whole I have been a good "citizen"...
Not everyone comes here illegally and I understand feeling unfairness in Dolores' letter (IW 6/25/07) since she wasn't able to have her sister come to support when going through such hardship as Cancer but even if this bill being discussed passes, it isn't Amnesty ; 1986 was Amnesty. With the fee that all will have to pay, the requirement of learning how to speak English and more requirements that are going to be needed to comply it isn't going to be Amnesty (By the way by reading Dolores' letter that's something she doesn't and won't have to go through since after 22 years (?) her written English isn't up-to-part and probably not her oral either: sorry!) It is a different hard way to make the American dream come true for many. It isn't going to be easy for many to adjust their status even if the bill goes through.
I am not Mexican but I know that the job that they do, many American do not want to do it and they rather stand at Junction of highway to beg for money instead of getting paid minimum wages and sometimes lower. The Hispanic community works hard for very little money and if the law passes they will work as hard to better their family here and abroad. Maybe finally they will have decent health insurance and be able to have preventive medecine instead of emergency (which by then is unaffordable even for American citizen) and pay taxes which is something some of then don't pay not because they don't want to but afraid that they will be found.
Dolores isn't the first immigrant that I hear speak about things that they do not have any knowledge about because they came through a different channel and do not know what hardship people like the Mexicans or I go through all the time.
Please stop watching Lou Dobbs and open your mind by reading other well informed sources (i.e. Siskind... or others who publish in their newletter) I am tired of the b.s. from narrominded or uninformed people.

Marie-Lyne

Dear Weekly Editor:
If I may say may piece on the immigration reform that making a lot of politicians emotional and irrational. There would be illegal immigration if our immigration policies are realistic and rational. This country became what it is now because of immigrants. Whether we like or not, face it or not, if all these illegal immigrants are deported en masse today, it will be like taking out all the fleas in a dirty dog's body. It will bleed to death. Can you immagine how much money it's gonna cost just to round them up, put them to jail and deport them. Remember, the illegal immigrants here are not just those that crossed the border. There illegals here who came here legally but for some technicalities or maybe they ran out of time they are now undocumented. How are we gonna deport them? Make them pay for their plane ride which I doubt they have because they are probably living here below poverty level as they could not work legally. Also, I know a lot of immigrants who are skilled, professionals, paying their taxes honestly, is not getting any government benefits, good upright citizens but because their employers/sponsors made a mistake or defrauded them, or their lawyers didn't do their job well and so are now undocumented. They could be a great asset to this country. Their skills and knowledge can be use to make us economically stronger. I say, give them a chance. Give them the chance to work here legally at least if not stay here permanently. Pass and immigrantion reform bill that will weed out those that are draining our social security system and the felons and terrorists.

Celia

Dear Weekly Editor:
I wanted to share my opinion about the Immigration bill.
I am a US citizen, born in the USA. Caucasian.
I feel that the country and our government are getting too politically correct and afraid to stand up to what is right.
The immigrants are walking all over us, and dictating our country to do what they want.
If they went to any other country, they wouldn't have this much rights. They would not get legalized just for being there.
Every other country has a process to go through to get legalized, and you don't hear about how messed up their system is, and how they are getting taken over by immigrants.
They shouldn't just legalize the immigrants just for being here. They should make them go back to their country and file for legalization from there.
Legalizing isn't going to make things better. It's just going to make it worst. Because you are going to have a swarm of people trying to get over our borders, just to say they were here when the law came in affect.
They should just only give those people visa's to work for a year, to prove that they are here to help the economy and not to mooch off our welfare system.
Then they should make it easier to bring over family members as long as those family members are either sponsored by someone proven to support them, or gets a visa to work.
Then they also should be REQUIRED to learn English and live by our ways, in the public life. Not make us bend to their ways.
No other country would let that happen.
Do you see Romanians invading Germany and telling them they must have Romanian language in the schools because they don't know German and don't want to learn?
Do you see Bulgarians invading France and telling them they must put their language on signs so they know where they are going, because they don't want to learn French?
Do you see the Chinese invading Britain, and demanding them to learn their language, because they don't know English?
No.
It's ridiculous how much we put up with and bend for them!

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